Thursday, July 31, 2014

The Los Angeles Clippers had an excellent 2013-2014 season, winning 57 regular season games. They advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals before losing in six games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers were mediocre on the defensive end of the court, ranked in the middle of the pack in points allowed, but were powerful on offense, leading the NBA in scoring. There is a bit of concern over top scorer Blake Griffin, who will miss the World Cup due to a back injury.

Wikimedia Commons

As reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Griffin withdrew from Team USA last week for the FIBA World Cup because of a small fracture in his back. Doctors advised Blake to rest so he'd be ready for the start of the NBA season. He suffered the injury during the playoffs and is expected to make a complete recovery.

Griffin was drafted first overall by the Clippers on 2009 out of Oklahoma. He averaged 24.1 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the floor, and 9.5 rebounds per game last season. He set a career high in rebounding average his rookie season, with 12.1 per game. In 308 career games, Griffin is averaging 21.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.